After a two-year renovation, the nation’s oldest zoo yesterday reopened with a new layout that it said brings visitors and animals closer than before.
Built in 1936, the Hsinchu Zoo overhauled its aging infrastructure with a no-cage approach to better protect and manage its animals in five areas, where they are separated from the public by moats or bushes and fences no taller than 120cm, allowing people to observe them at a closer distance without disturbing them, the city government said.
Visitors would be able to view all the animals, including orangutans and Bengal tigers, up close, it said, adding that common eland antelopes would be visible from the canteen area.
Photo: Hung Mei-hsiuh, Taipei Times
“Seeing the zoo become a center of tourism again has always been a dream of mine, and now I have seen that dream fulfilled,” Hsinchu Mayor Lin Chih-chien (林智堅) said.
Lin, whose mayoral campaign platform last year centered on renovating the zoo, presided over the reopening with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文).
He said that he hoped the zoo would usher in a new period of prosperity for the city.
The zoo has also reduced the number of animals it cares for, from 70 species to 44, to make sure each group has ample space, zoo director Yang Chia-min (楊家民) said.
Most of the other species, which were released to the wild or relocated to other facilities, were birds, Yang said, adding that one of the old bird cages was turned into an art installation that visitors would walk through when entering the zoo.
The installation was designed to help visitors experience a caged animal’s perspective and inspire them to think differently about nature, he said.
The city government said that it has retained nearly 80 percent of the plants it had before the renovation, as well as familiar structures, such as a fountain and an entryway inspired by the former main entrance at the Tierpark Hagenbeck in Hamburg, Germany.
The Hsinchu zoo also kept the pen of an elephant that was gifted to the zoo, the city government said, adding that its preserved bones would be displayed in the building, along with historic photographs of the zoo.
The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Wanda-Zhonghe Line is 81.7 percent complete, with public opening targeted for the end of 2027, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said today. Surrounding roads are to be open to the public by the end of next year, Hou said during an inspection of construction progress. The 9.5km line, featuring nine underground stations and one depot, is expected to connect Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Station to Chukuang Station in New Taipei City’s Jhonghe District (中和). All 18 tunnels for the line are complete, while the main structures of the stations and depot are mostly finished, he
Taipei is to implement widespread road closures around Taipei 101 on Friday to make way for large crowds during the Double Ten National Day celebration, the Taipei Department of Transportation said. A four-minute fireworks display is to be launched from the skyscraper, along with a performance by 500 drones flying in formation above the nearby Nanshan A21 site, starting at 10pm. Vehicle restrictions would occur in phases, they said. From 5pm to 9pm, inner lanes of Songshou Road between Taipei City Hall and Taipei 101 are to be closed, with only the outer lanes remaining open. Between 9pm and 9:40pm, the section is
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Vancouver, Canada, on Saturday hosted a reception to celebrate Double Ten National Day. Conservative Canadian lawmaker Marc Dalton called Taiwan a “beacon of courage and resilience in the face of rising authoritarianism,” according to a post on the Taiwan in Vancouver Facebook page. Also in attendance were fellow conservative caucus members Tako Van Popta and Chak Au, who said that Taiwan plays an “indispensable role” in ensuring global peace, prosperity and stability due to its strategic position in the Indo-Pacific region, it said. Canadian lawmaker Michael Cooper also recorded a message wishing Taiwan a
RSS